Will we win a game? [Newsletter]
AC Milan are currently on a six-game winless run and considering how things went down against Genoa last time out, they desperately need to bounce back with three points on Saturday. It will be another game at San Siro, now with the full backing of the fans, and Cagliari are the ones to overcome. Any other season, this would have been a certain win.
The performance against Genoa was borderline dreadful, at least in defence, as Milan were picked apart way too easily. Curva Sud’s protest obviously had an impact on the affair but even with the support of the fans, Stefano Pioli’s men would have struggled. Just like the fans are tired of this season, it’s clear that the players are too no matter what they say in the interviews.
Alessandro Florenzi had the funniest post-match comment on Sunday, and not Pioli for once, as he said that ‘finishing in second place could be a good season in the end, even if at the beginning, we definitely wanted something else’. If you definitely wanted something else, how can it be a good season? It’s better to be honest and admit that nothing has gone according to plan. Justifying the failures will only result in mediocrity and no one wants that.
Due to the many rumours regarding the post-Pioli era, this season finale has more or less turned into chaos. The fans are completely focused on the different candidates being reported in the media, Pioli now knows for sure that he will be sacked and the players seemingly cannot wait for next season. Some to work with the new manager, others to try their luck elsewhere. The latest results - draws against Juve and Genoa - really aren’t surprising with this in mind.
Nevertheless, it will be important to finish the season on a somewhat good note, both to give Pioli the farewell he deserves and to not completely fall apart. Wearing the red and black shirt should be a great honour for every single player in the squad, which we haven’t seen enough of lately. Pioli should take this opportunity to help Milan by fielding some players for the future, such as Noah Okafor, instead of the exit-bound ones.
Speaking of the future, it’s now or never for Gerry Cardinale, as we covered in one of our latest bonus articles. He needs to show the fans with actions rather than words, which might be easier said than done. The upcoming summer will indeed be very interesting but first, it remains to be seen which manager the Rossoneri management will pick. Just like the management, we as fans must also be a bit patient as this is no decision to rush.
News bulletin
➤ Milan Primavera once again missed out on the chance to take a step towards the play-offs as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lecce on Monday afternoon. They were unable to hang on to a late lead and it could be costly, but there is still time to get into the top five.
➤ AC Milan Women continued their good form in the relegation play-off pool as they beat Como 1-0 on Sunday. The only goal of the game came from Angelica Soffia in the 27th minute.
➤ A lot of the speculation surrounding Milan at the moment concerns the next head coach. At the time of writing Sergio Conceicao seems to be the favourite, and he is set to meet Porto president Andre Villas-Boas about his future, who pledged that the club will enter a new era in his unveiling speech.
➤ The remaining space in the newspaper columns aside from the next manager concerns the centre-forward who will arrive. Reports both in Italy and in Germany are claiming that Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig is now the big target, but could cost north of €50m due to his clause having stipulations.
➤ Protests have been the theme of the last few days at Milan. Firstly the Curva Sud abstained from chanting and displaying banners during the Genoa game, releasing a statement and walking out on 80 minutes, then the president of APA Milan (Small Shareholders) questioned the ambition of the owners.
➤ A report from Spain suggested that Theo Hernandez wants to join Bayern Munich this summer. However, a couple of sources in Italy have since responded by stating he is happy at Milan and even if he did look to move on, there are two clubs higher on his list of preferences.